Computing systems generally include peripheral devices. Peripheral devices may be connected to a computing system internally or externally, and typically communicate with a computing system through one or more busses. The manner in which data is transferred on a bus is typically defined by a bus protocol. Examples of bus protocols include the Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI) family of bus protocols (e.g., PCI, PCI-eXtended (PCI-X), PCI Express (PCIe), PCI derivatives such as Accelerated Graphics Port (AGP), etc.), among others.
Some peripheral devices may include one or more processors integrated into the peripheral devices. For example, a peripheral device configured as a network interface card may include a processor (or processors) to examine and process packets that routine routing operations are unable to handle. As another example, a peripheral device configured as a co-processor card may include processors that provide additional computing resources to a computing system.
Processors often include a low-power, or standby mode. When in low-power mode, a processor may shut down certain operations, such as disabling some parts of the chip or some clock signals. Alternatively or additionally, the processor may reduce some clock frequencies. Thus, when in low-power mode, a processor may reduce its power consumption.